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How to Deal with Clothes Moths in Your Stash

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Excellent tips for dealing with a moth infestation from the Zen of Making.It’s probably a nightmare of every crafty person who uses a lot of wool and natural fibers: a moth infestation.

Haley at the Zen of Making recently suffered through such an infestation, which caused the loss of a big chunk of her yarn, fabric and felt stashes and the necessity of cleaning her apartment from top to bottom to ensure that all the moth larvae were taken care of.

It’s a harrowing tale, but she’s very specific in talking about exactly what you need to do to stop moths that have invaded your home. She talks about what to do with yarn skeins, knit and crocheted items, fabric, clothing, bedding, furniture, rugs and more.

Vinegar, a vacuum, a good washing machine and lots of time are the tools you will need to win this battle. The knowledge that moths don’t care if your house is clean or dirty may also help.

Let’s hope this is not a problem you ever have to face, but if you do, you’ll want to have this guide at the ready. Thanks for sharing, Haley!

Have you ever dealt with moths? I’d love to hear if you have any tips to add.

[Photo via the Zen of Making.]

Comments

  2. Had an infestation about a month ago. Never did find out where exactly they were coming from, but I got cedar balls and blocks and put them in coat closet and cupboard where my cloths and stash were. Fingers crossed it seems to have worked … no moth sightings

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns! 

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil. 

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn. 

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point. 

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up. 

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.